The high weekly levels of physical activity; of moderate to severe intensity are associated with a lower risk of CKD in overweight or obese individuals with type 2 diabetesaccording to research published online at “British Journal of Sports Medicine”.

THE diabetes is the main cause of chronic kidney disease representing 30-50% of all such cases. Diabetes along with chronic kidney disease is associated with a tenfold or greater increase in the risk of death from any cause compared with diabetes alone, the researchers point out.

Short term evidence suggests that exercise improves kidney function in people with type 2 diabetes, but to see the long-term benefits, the researchers did a secondary analysis of data on 1,746 overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes, with an average age of 58 years. During an average follow-up period of twelve years, about one in three participants developed chronic kidney disease.

Physical activity levels were measured at the start of the study and then one, four and eight years later. Those who got the most moderate to vigorous physical activity each week, from 329 to 469 minutes, were significantly less likely to have chronic kidney disease than those who got the least amount of physical activity, less than 220 minutes. Overall it found that increasing weekly exercise by just over an hour was associated with a 33% reduction in risk.

“The foundings these are consistent with evidence that regular physical activity has direct anti-inflammatory effects and may promote glycemic control, improve insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, lipid profile, and other metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors, which are associated with kidney function”, the researchers point out.

They recommend that overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes do just over an hour of moderate-intensity activity every day in the form of brisk walking, cycling, jogging or swimming to reduce the risk of developing chronic kidney disease.

*The scientific publication